Meeting Details

The Leader, Councillor Topping and Councillor Beavan declared an interest regarding item 17 the Appointment of Local Returning Officer for Norfolk and Suffolk Combined County Authority elections as they are both standing as Mayoral candidates. 

Councillor Patience declared an other registerable interest regarding item 16 the Lowestoft Neighbourhood Plan. 

The Chair's Announcements

The Chair introduced Councillor Back who paid tribute to County Councillor Melanie Vigo Di Gallidoro who had recently passed away.

 The Chair attended the following engagements since the last Full Council meeting:

•  East Coast College Graduation Ceremony on 17 October at Great Yarmouth Minster
•  Visit to East Coast College re Youth Council on 24 October at Lowestoft Campus
• East Suffolk Youth Council Catch Up / Induction Day on 5 November at Riverside
• Remembrance Sunday at St Mary’s Church on 9 November in Bungay

The Chair highlighted the event of Britten as a Boy Statue Unveiling on 10 November at Kitchener’s Garden, Lowestoft 

The Vice-Chair attended the following events


Chair of SCC's fundraising event - Farm Walk and Supper on 25 September at the Euston Estate, near Honington

• Chair of Babergh's Charity Quiz Night on 24 October at the Bull Hotel in Long Melford
•  Remembrance Sunday on 9 November at St John’s Church, Saxmundham

The following Remembrance Sunday Events were attended across the district on 9 November 2025

Councillor Graham attended the Aldeburgh event

 Councillor Topping attended the Beccles event

 Councillor Candy attended the Felixstowe event

 Councillor Langdon-Morris attended the Framlingham event

 Councillor Reeves attended the HMP Warren Hill event as Armed Forces Champion

 Councillor Whitelock attended the Leiston event

 Councillor Reeves attended the Lowestoft Service as Armed Forces Champion

 Councillor Beavan attended the Southwold event

 Councillor Noble attended the Wickham Market event

 Councillor Molyneux attended the Woodbridge event

The Leader's Announcements

With effect from 8 October 2025 Councillor Katie Graham moved to be Assistant Cabinet Member to Councillor Tom Daly.  Councillor Graham would be continuing her Youth Council role and helping Councillor Sarah Whitelock with some culture items.

 With effect from 29 September 2025, Councillor Stephen Molynuex will deputise for Councillor Mark Packard on the Ipswich Strategic Planning Area Board. With effect from 29 September 2025 Councillor David Beavan joined the Shareholder Reference Group.

Councillor Julia Ewart moved out of the GLI group to work as an Independent Member not aligned to any group. The following changes were made to Outside Bodies.

With effect from 20 November 2025:

Councillor Tom Daly would be on the Alde and Ore Community Partnership.

Councillor Sarah Whitelock would be on the Association of Suffolk Museums.

Councillor Lee Reeves was now the sole representative for the Council, and continues to be the Chair of the Community Safety Partnership.

Councillor Tom Daly would sit on the East Suffolk Water Management Board.

With effect from 20 November 2025, Councillor Katie Graham would be the Vice Chair of the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) Working Group.

With effect from 20 November 2025, Councillor Vince Langdon-Morris was appointed to the Suffolk Flood Risk Partnership.

Cabinet Members Announcements

Councillor Langdon-Morris advised that the finance team had been working with Officers and Cabinet Members to review the budget under ‘Our Direction’ themes. When the analysis is complete Councillor Langdon-Morris will share it with all Councillors.

 Councillor Langdon-Morris thanked the Chief Executive Officer for hosting Member focused Local Government Review (LGR) groups which had been well attended. 

 Councillor Daly referenced the Sizewell C and NSIP activity and offered appreciation for the work of the NSIP Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project team.

 Councillor Candy thanked the Senior Licensing Officer who was due to retire after for 42 years of service with the Council.

The Chief Executive's Announcements

The Chief Executive referenced the Local Government Review (LGR) consultation and promotional leaflets on the table which members could take away with them.

On the proposition of Councillor Jepson seconded by Councillor Gandy it was unanimously 

 RESOLVED

 That the minutes of the meeting held on 24 September 2025 be agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Question to Councillor Mark Packard, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Planning and Coastal Management from Councillor Rowing, Peasenhall Parish Council

What steps is East Suffolk Council taking to ensure developers provide both allotments and the opportunity for a play area within the Public Open Space at Mabels Walk in Peasenhall?

Response from Councillor Mark Packard, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Planning and Coastal Management

Thank you for your question. What has become apparent to our officers, in discussions with the parish council, is that a mistake was made by the then Suffolk Coastal District Council in 2018 in the way that the planning permission was granted as it was inconsistent with the benefits of the development described in the planning committee report in September 2018.

Question from Councillor Peter Byatt to Councillor Paul Ashton Deputy Leader and Corporate Services - Digital, Customer Services, HR and Assets

A report in the press in April revealed that East Suffolk Council experienced more than triple the number of callouts for rat and mice infestations in 2024 compared to the previous year and anecdotal evidence from another press report from Southwold in August, alongside numerous complaints from residents in Lowestoft and Felixstowe this year, suggest we still have a problem. 

As we have a responsibility for pest prevention of publicly accessible council land, can you advise how many callouts there have been this year, where most of the incidents are, and at what cost?

As part of our general regime to control pest infestation, particularly the rats, what additional methods should we use to hasten the elimination of this unacceptable environmental health menace? 

Response from  Councillor Paul Ashton Deputy Leader and Corporate Services - Digital, Customer Services, HR and Assets

Between May and October 2025 Property and Place received 70 enquiries regarding rats in and around public open space, with the majority concerning Southwold (45) and Lowestoft/Pakefield (16). A new contractor was appointed in July 2025 with scheduled monthly visit across the council area costing £5.3k.  Reactive visits to the worst affected areas cost an additional £6.3k.

The summer of 2025 was problematic for many authorities as we saw a significant national increase in rat numbers. Factors including the mild winter, plentiful food sources and suitable habitats led to a particular issue in Southwold.  Procurement of the council wide pest control contract (including housing) was initialised in July 2024, and the contract was only awarded in July 2025. During this time measures were introduced to bridge the gap between contracts - unfortunately but somewhat inevitably there was dip in the usual standard achieved as we approached the summer.  Additional work with the new contractor was immediately increased from August when rats numbers peaked and since then numbers have reduced across all sites owned by the council. Other areas such as around the Jolly Sailors in Pakefield have been more challenging to control as council do not own land where rat numbers are high, however our contractor has been liaising with other suppliers to try and address the situation. 

Ongoing monthly sites inspections and baiting by our contractors should see rat numbers continue to fall. Lessons were learnt form this season and we continue with year-round performance meetings to stay full up to date with all site conditions. Authorising additional measures as and when required we expect to see numbers continue to fall and be maintained at a low level into 2026.

Councillor Byatt followed with a supplementary question: What efforts can we make to make sure that this company does the job they're being paid for and can we have a report in six months to the effectiveness?

 Councillor Ashton responded that the team were regularly monitoring the situation, and a report can be provided on this. Previously the Council lacked an overarching contract and this did not help the situation in a challenging year. This is now in place and Councillor Ashton stated he was confident that we were now on top of the problem. It would be an ongoing issue so it did need a constant focus. 

 Question from Councillor Tess Gandy to Councillor Paul Ashton Deputy Leader and Corporate Services - Digital, Customer Services, HR and Assets

There continues to be problems in a number of areas across East Suffolk where residents are failing to remove their household bins from pavements after they have been emptied. What actions will this Council take to ensure that persistent offenders are dealt with effectively?

Response from Councillor Paul Ashton Deputy Leader and Corporate Services - Digital, Customer Services, HR and Assets

 Councillor Ashton stated he had the pleasure of walking around the Harbour and Normanston Ward with Councillor Gandy and meeting constituents. During this they did observe bins being left out, although not much flytipping which was also an issue in the area.

 The Council now had four or five monitoring officers who encourage people to put bins back after they've been collected, and ultimately to issue fines. The most important thing was to encourage people to respect their environment and their neighbours and do this willingly. A bins left out policy has been drafted and is being discussed with officers. Councillor Ashton stated he was happy to share this with councillors and get their views on it before it was issued. Better recycling would be introduced in the next year, as a part of this there was analysis of residences where additional bins could not be stored and service adaptions would be put in where required. Councillor Ashton stated there were 420 reports of bins left out in financial year 2024 to 2025, with 270 reported year to date. Work was being planned to target well-known streets that have an issue with bins left out before the Better Recycling roll out as the Council was aware that Better Recycling is likely to make this problem worse rather than better. The Council was trying to get on top of the issue before then.

 Councillor Gandy followed with a supplementary question and requested a more substantive explanation on how the Council will be supporting residents who do not have the space required for bin storage, and what other members could do support residents in their wards.

 Councillor Ashton stated that the Council had looked at the impact that the extra bins will have and which properties are not going to be able to accommodate them.  There were alternative solutions such as smaller bins that could be put in place. Briefings for Councillors on Better Recycling were planned for the new year and this would be part of those. More information would be shared as and when it was available.

Chair of East Suffolk Youth Council 

The Chair introduced the Chair of East Suffolk Youth Council who reported that East Suffolk Youth Council met on 5 November 2025 for an annual induction and catch-up day. The meeting was well attended with some new Councillors from Lowestoft Sixth Form College, Farlingaye High School and Woodbridge School.  The day focussed on transport, renewable building, women and girls’ safety and overall wellbeing for young people. There was also an update provided to Youth Councillors on the upcoming Local Government Review (LGR). 

 The Chair of East Suffolk Youth Council stated that he had also attended the recent Community Partnership Forum and the Brittan as a Boy event. The next East Suffolk Youth Council meeting was due to be held on 10 December 2025 at East Suffolk House. 

The Leader Councillor Topping introduced report ES/2600 which related to the Political Balance and allocation of seats on Committees 2025/26. The membership of Committees of East Suffolk Council was determined under the terms of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and the Local Government (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990.

Those provisions required the Authority to review the representation of political groups and individuals on the Committees, Sub-Committees, and other appropriate bodies to ensure that the seats on Committees are allocated by Group Leaders in proportion to the political groups’ membership of the Council.

Following a change to the Council’s Political Balance on 18 November 2025, the allocation of seats on the Council’s Committees were reviewed to reflect the Council’s new political balance.

The leader advised that since the publication of the report, Appendix A had been updated, and it could be found as a meeting document on CMIS.  Appendix A contained the proposed allocation of seats on the Committees.

On the proposition of Councillor Topping seconded by Councillor Jepson it was unanimously 


RESOLVED

That Full Council approve:

1. That, with effect from 26 November 2025, to meet statutory requirements, seats on Committees of the Council be allocated in accordance with the contents of this report and Appendix A.

2. That the Leader be granted Delegated Authority to make any necessary changes to the membership of the Committees for the remainder of the 2025/26 Municipal Year, in consultation with the other Group Leaders.

The Leader Councillor Topping introduced report ES/2599 which related to the consideration of the waiver of the 6-month rule for a Councillor's attendance.

Under Section 85 of the Local Government Act 1972, if a Member of a Local Authority fails throughout a period of six consecutive months, from the date of his/her last attendance of any meeting of the authority, they shall, unless the failure was due to a reason approved by the Authority, before the expiry of that period, cease to be a Member of that Authority.

As outlined in the report, on behalf of Councillor Scrancher, a formal request was made to the Council for approval of an extended leave of absence, 16 January 2026 to 31 March 2026 in order that he is not disqualified by virtue of non-attendance within a six-month period.

Councillor Whitelock left the room and did not participate in the vote.

Councillor Byatt supported the recommendation and extended his best wishes to Councillor Scrancher and his family. The Leader wished Councillor Scrancher well and looked forward to seeing him back in the chamber.

On the proposition of Councillor Topping seconded by Councillor Jepson it was unanimously

RESOLVED

 That Full Council:

 Agreed an extended leave of absence for Councillor Scrancher until 31 March 2026 acknowledging he can return to his duties before the end of the extension if he is able.

The Leader introduced report ES/2541 which related to the Code of Corporate Governance. The Code of Corporate Governance was a fundamental document which highlighted how the Council strived to meet the highest standards of corporate governance via active principles and practice.  

The “Code” had been reviewed to ensure it was fully compliant with recommended best practices such as those set by CIPFA (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy) and SOLACE (Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers).

The Audit and Governance Committee reviewed and commented on the draft Code of Corporate Governance at the meeting held 8 September 2025, with the resolution:

That, having considered and commented upon the report, this [Audit and Governance] Committee recommend that Full Council adopt the proposed Code of Corporate Governance 2025/26.

Councillor Byatt and Councillor Grey thanked the Internal Audit Team for their diligent work. The Leader also thanked the team for their support.

 On the proposition of Councillor Topping seconded by Councillor Grey it was unanimously

 RESOLVED

 That Full Council:

 Adopted the refreshed Code of Corporate Governance 2025/26 attached at Appendix A to this report.

Councillor Packard Cabinet Member with responsibility for Planning and Coastal Management introduced report ES/2592 which related to the CIL Spending Report 2025 and the draft Infrastructure Funding Statement 2024-25. 

The report contained two key appendices, Appendix A the CIL spending report 2025 and Appendix B the Infrastructure Funding Statement 2024 / 2025. They were reported for Full Council awareness, following approval by Cabinet on 7 October 2025.  

The CIL spending report demonstrated that had been a ‘bumper’ year for CIL spending with 27 projects awarded over £8.5million of District CIL. East Suffolk has a consistently good record in delivering infrastructure to support new housing developments in the area. 

Key bids included £4.2 million for the expansion of Beccles Medical Centre in advance of new development. There was £400,000 for the Benhall to Saxmundham cycling and walking project which was supported by the Cycling, Walking and Wheeling Group. £272,000 towards the new Henley Gate Primary School. 

The Councillor highlighted that the area of work should be celebrated as East Suffolk is one of the top performing councils in England regarding the collection and spend of CIL.  

Councillor Packard reminded members there was a duty under CIL regulations to ensure Town and Parish Councils are spending CIL within 5 years of receipt and are reporting on their neighbourhood CIL income and expenditure by the statutory deadline of 31 December. They need to make their report available on their website by the deadline. 

Councillor Ashdown thanked the CIL group for the work. The group closely scrutinise applications and have excellent results.

Councillor Hedgley welcomed the report and felt it was something to be proud of. The Councillor queried if there is any individual in East Suffolk who has been charged CIL and had appealed against it. Councillor Packard confirmed he would take the query outside of the meeting.

Councillor Topping thanked the CIL working group for the funding given to Beccles Medical facility.

 Councillor Byatt was pleased to see a million pound of funding towards the Benacre flood project and highlighted the serious issue for residents of Kessingland and users of the A12. It was good there was some funding from Sizewell and that conversations were taking place. 

 
Councillor Langdon-Morris commented on the branding of projects to publicise CIL funded work. 

On the proposition of Councillor Packard seconded by Councillor Langdon-Morris it was unanimously 

RESOLVED

That Full Council:

Noted the contents of the CIL Spending Report 2025-26 and the draft Infrastructure Funding Statement 2024-25, approved by Cabinet, to further aid councillors’ understanding and knowledge of Developer Contributions.

Councillor Sarah Whitelock, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Communities, Culture, Leisure and Tourism introduced report ES/2595 which related to Supporting Cultural Events in East Suffolk

The report had two distinct parts, one focussed on financial support for the First Light Festival (FLF) and the other on wider events and cultural activity support via the extension of the cultural strategy delivery budget, practical events support and the cultural lead role. Regarding the FLF, Councillor Whitelock stated that the report demonstrated that the culture and the arts were supporting the delivery of the Council’s  ‘Our Direction 28’ priorities across multiple themes including economic, communities and environment.

The current 3-year funding agreement with FLF had expired and the recommendation was to provide a new 3-year extension at the same rate as previously support of £500,000 which would match fund the Arts Council’s significant investment. 

To secure FLF beyond the Local Government Review (LGR), the proposal included a budget line for FLF until 2034/35. Whilst future successor Councils could be held to this, having an allocation within the base budget could mean its future inclusion was more likely.

FLF has delivered tremendous outcomes for Lowestoft and East Suffolk since its inception, these included:

- over 200,000 people attending (approximately 40,000 a year)
- 1000’s of artists and creatives taking part
- 640 volunteer hours
- over 4100 local organisations involved including all the town’s schools
- showcasing Lowestoft as a vibrant and diverse cultural centre which has resulted in a large amount of national and regional media coverage
- supports the wider cultural and leisure led Lowestoft regeneration programme
- addressing deprivation and providing opportunities to engage with the local labour market

Regarding other events in East Suffolk the paper also dealt with an extension of the cultural strategy delivery budget, events support funding and Cultural Lead role. It was due to expire in 27/28 and currently provides £54,000 a year to support delivery of East Suffolk’s Cultural Strategy.

It was recommended that this funding was extended to 2034/35 to provide resilience and support to cultural sector beyond LGR.

It was recommended that the Cultural Lead role which was due to expire in February 2027 was extended until March 2028 so East Suffolk Council (ESC) had capacity to deliver the cultural strategy up until LGR. Councillor Whitelock concluded that it was also recommended to extend the practical events support budget which ESC provides funding for elements such as barriers, additional cleansing and temporary toilets.

Councillor Smith queried the figures provided. The Chair stated the correct figure in recommendation one, should be £450,000 and it looked as though there was a typographical error on the report. Councillor Smith added that it would be helpful for members to understand what the total additional money on top of the £450,000 would be - to cover the period up to 2030.

Councillor Wilson responded that in supporting papers under section 4.4 in table 3 it showed a total of £480,000 across four areas. The Chair clarified that the total was £480,000 of which £450,000 was going to be utilised for the delivery of the First Light Festival. 

The was further discussion regarding confusion over the total amount being proposed. Councillor Willson confirmed the entire budget was £480,000. Councillor Whitelock added further information from 4.1 of the report. Councillor Smith confirmed she was looking for the total amount of funding the Council was committing to up to 2035.

The Chief Executive confirmed that the current approved budget was £780,000 which was highlighted in the table Councillor Wilson referenced (table 3 at 4.4). A supplementary £480,000 was being requested to that figure. 

Councillor Jepson queried the amount of funding that First Light Festival contributed themselves to events and referenced that originally the introduction of the festival was done so with the intention that it would start to be less reliant on council funding. Councillor Jepson was disappointed that the figures provided in the report were not clear. Councillor Whitelock responded that the contribution was evident particularly to those who attend the festival. Councillor Whitelock was happy to provide further detail on the financial contributions from First Light.  

There was a discussion regarding a motion to defer the item of business until there was clarity on the figures. The Chair confirmed there was no possibility to defer, there could be a motion without notice to refer to a committee or a motion to withdraw, which the proposer and seconder would need to agree. There could be a motion to amend.

Councillor Whitelock added that First Light Festival do not directly contribute any funding. East Suffolk Council has kept funding the same and not increased with inflation. First Light Festival had increased costs which needed to be met.

Councillor Folley added that events in Felixstowe did not get similar funding that First Light do. The annual Carnival raises its own sponsorship and funding, which annually achieves approximately a million pound for the town. Councillor Folley stated she could not support the recommendations.  Councillor Folley recommended the item be referred to the Audit and Governance Committee.  The Chair responded that it would not be a matter for Audit and Governance Committee to consider and did not accept the motion to refer.

 Councillor Graham stated that the Arts Council changed its strategy which brought attention to areas of cultural inequalities by providing community events on the streets which were free for communities to experience. Councillor Graham highlighted that being a community interest company allowed them to borrow money to make certain decisions, and it was a not-for-profit organisation, who invest into the festival. They continue to do work to bring money in, including work at East Point Pavillion. It would not be self-sustaining and to be effective it needed public bodies to step up and support.  FLF had grown from year to year and gained national media coverage for its amazing work. It needed further investment to continue growth and support the need for growing security and rising inflation costs. Councillor Graham concluded that the festival was part of the overall regeneration project for Lowestoft. 

Councillor Byatt stated that absolute clarity was needed on the figures being requested.

Councillor Wilson drew members attention back to the report under section 4.4, table 3. It was split into four budget areas, each of which had current approved budget lines. The first was for First Light Festival at £450,000 which had been in the budget for some time. The second was cultural strategy development which was £162,000. The third had an approved budget of £70,000 and the fourth £102,000. Which added to £784,000. The paper presented supplementary spending which added up to £480,000 which was being asked for. Councillor Wilson echoed other members thoughts on the festival being self-sustaining and highlighted that it was not the type of event that would be able to completely. FLF were working hard to look at ways to increase their incomes streams.

Councillor Smith echoed that she was supportive of the FLF, but wanted to understand the commitment for ten years, which was £1,264,000. The Councillor felt that the report could have been presented a simpler way for members to understand. Councillor Smith sought clarification that; FLF had been supported since 2019 and in total had £780,000 committed, which was 38.9% of the total is has raised, which was £2million.

Councillor Smith questioned why the report did not plainly state that the Council would be committing £1,264,000 for the next ten years and that the business would be robust to operate in the next ten years. Councillor Wilson responded that the request was for five years with the MTFS and the cost of the festival was £2million per year.

Councillor Smithson stated that it would be good to understand what FLF was doing to try to make itself more self-sufficient. Councillor Whitelock responded that the festival was working to achieve more income through camping pitches and food vendors as two examples.

Councillor Gooch highlighted the multiplier effect of the festival, which was a free event drawing visitors into the community who would spend money locally when there. The Councillor considered other festivals and events and was there a way to extend the multiple effect further.

Councillor King declared an interest as the volunteer at the festival since it started. The Councillor highlighted that it was a Community Interest Company (CIC) for trading reasons and it was easier to hold money as a CIC than a charity. Councillor King added that the town had experienced a loss of events in the past and the FLF was so important for the town. 

Councillor Lynch stated he would not be able to support the recommendation and felt the report was poor. The Councillor had looked up the CIC and could see there was a £450,000 declared in their latest accounts and queried what the organisation was doing with that money.

Councillor Daly added that the organisation needed to plan for the next festival and the organisation needed to have funding available to work on the upcoming festival. The Councillor highlighted the benefits of the festival and the need for the money generated going back into the organisation for the next festival.  It was there to add social value. 

Councillor Jepson added that it would have been useful to have clearer figures presented to Full Council and clarified that his group supported the First Light Festival. 

Councillor Deacon queried if the item was deferred the item would it jeopardised next year’s festival. Councillor Whitelock responded that the paper was not just concerning FLF but included other events. The Councillor did not think it could be made any clearer by coming back to a future Full Council meeting.

Councillor Ewart discussed transport issues which would present barriers to young people attending from local areas outside of Lowestoft. Councillor Plummer believed there were various transport options available for people to access the festival.

The Leader, highlighted the number of festivals that had been cancelled or postponed due to rising costs and lack of funding. The Leader urged members to support the paper. 

Councillor Langdon-Morris thanked members for the detailed debate. It was a budget request which could be revisited and had been discussed with the Chief Finance Officer. The request formed approximately 0.2% of the total budget for the next five years. 

Councillor Whitelock concluded that there was a shared desire for young people of the district to be able to enjoy the festival and access transport to attend. The Councillor confirmed that FLF needed to have money in the bank to pay for planning the next Festival. Councillor Whitelock echoed the positive comments made for the benefits of the festival. 

On the proposition of Councillor Whitelock seconded by Councillor Graham it was by majority vote 

RESOLVED

That Full Council:

1. Approved the use of the £450k allocated within the MTFS to support the delivery of FLF over the period 25/26 – 28/29 inclusive.

2. Approved a supplementary revenue budget of £150k for the MTFS period 2025/26 to 2027/28 to support the delivery of the FLF and ensure that the new 3 year funding agreement for FLF is at the same level of the previous agreement i.e. £500k

 3. Approved an extension to the budget to support the delivery of FLF of £100k pa between 2028/29 to 2034/35, which equates to £700k, and includes a supplementary revenue budget requirement of £100k for the MTFS period in 2029/30.

 4. Approved an extension of seven years for the existing Cultural Strategy delivery budget from 2028/29 until 2034/35, which equates to £378k, and includes a supplementary revenue budget requirement of £108k for the MTFS period in 2028/29 to 2029/30.

 5. Approved an extension of the budget that provides practical support for events on ESC land of £40k pa from 2026/27 to 2034/35, which equates to £360k, and includes a supplementary revenue budget requirement of £160k for the MTFS period in 2026/27 to 2029/30.

 6. Approved a supplementary revenue budget of £68k in 2027/28 for the extension of the Cultural Development Lead’s contract from February 2027 until March 2028 to ensure there is officer capacity to deliver the East Suffolk Cultural Strategy up to LGR and support the development and delivery of cultural events across the district. 

Councillor Packard, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Planning and Coastal Management introduced report ES/2594 which related to the Lowestoft Neighbourhood Plan. 

The purpose of the report was to recommend the ‘making’ (adoption) of the Lowestoft Neighbourhood Plan, so it would become part of the development plan for East Suffolk. Lowestoft Town Council commenced work on their Neighbourhood Plan in December 2018. The plan was successfully passed at the referendum on 20 November 2025 where 2,901 people voted with a turn out of 8.2%. 2,571 people voted yes, which was 87% in favour with 380 people voting no and 13 votes being rejected.

The Neighbourhood Plan had been built around wide engagement with the community and had undergone several rounds of consultation.

Councillors Ceresa, Lawson, Scrancher left the meeting (20:25).

Councillor Byatt commended the Planning Team for their ongoing work.

On the proposition of Councillor Packard seconded by Councillor Byatt it was unanimously

RESOLVED

That Full Council:

Make the Lowestoft Neighbourhood Plan (Referendum Version, received October 2025) part of the statutory Development Plan for East Suffolk for the whole of the Lowestoft Neighbourhood area. 

The Deputy Leader, Councillor Paul Ashton, introduced report ES/2593 which related to the Appointment of Local Returning Officer for Norfolk and Suffolk Combined County Authority elections.

The first elections of the Norfolk and Suffolk Combined Authority would take place on 7 May 2026. The Director of Democratic and Regulatory Services for Norfolk County Council would be appointed as the Combined County Authority Returning Officer and would have overall responsibility for the administration of the Mayoral election. The appointment of a Local Returning Officer was required for administering the election in East Suffolk in accordance with Section 2 of The Combined Authorities (Mayoral Elections) Order 2017.

The Chief Executive was appointed as Returning Officer for the election of District and Parish councillors in the constitution and would soon be appointed as Deputy Returning Officer for the Suffolk County Council elections which were also scheduled for 7 May 2026.

The appointment of a Local Returning Officer for the Mayoral election was a legal requirement and appointing the Chief Executive would provide the necessary experience and consistency.

The Leader and Councillor Beavan left the room and did not participate in the debate or the vote. They returned after the conclusion of the business item.

Councillor Jepson was happy to second the item and held the Chief Executive in high esteem. 

On the proposition of Councillor Ashton seconded by Councillor Jepson it was unanimously

RESOLVED

 That Full Council:

 1. Approved the appointment of the Chief Executive as Local Returning Officer for the East Suffolk area for the Norfolk and Suffolk Combined County Authority mayoral elections.

Full Council received report ES/2596 which was presented by Councillor Topping, Leader of the Council, and provided individual Cabinet Members' reports of their areas of responsibility, as well as reports from those Members appointed to represent East Suffolk Council on Outside Bodies. The Leader stated that the written reports could be taken as read and she invited relevant questions on their contents.

Councillor Deacon requested an update on when Deben Fields would be completed and would they deliver on affordable homes.

Councillor Deacon queried how many beach huts in Felixstowe had been sold or leased. Councillor Ashton responded that he believed there were 5 or 6 on long term lease but would confirm outside of the meeting. There was income being generated from seasonal lets and the council was looking to continue to increase the return and make sure people were using them. 

Councillor Smith queried the issuing of grants from Community Partnerships (CPs). Councillor Whitelock responded that the CPs all varied on how they distributed their funding in response to local need. Councillor Whitelock advised Councillor Smith to raise any concerns with her local CP. 

Councillor Folley questioned the upgrading of CCTV in Lowestoft and felt there should be equal committed in Felixstowe. Councillor Candy responded that CCTV was very complex and there were ongoing conversations about the best way forward in Felixstowe. Councillor Ashton added that there were quarterly meetings with the Strategic Director and Felixstowe Town Council, along with a continued dialogue with the Police. There were various ways to approach CCTV, including live monitoring and fixed cameras recording. The Town Council were keen for one way and the Police had advised the other was a better option. The Chief Executive had written to the Police for further clarity. Councillor Ashton also advised that there was exploration to the cost effectiveness of linking with Lowestoft along with opportunities outside of the district. East Suffolk Services Limited (ESSL) were also engaged in discussions. Councillor Candy concluded that whilst it was not straightforward the issue was not forgotten. 

Councillor Gooch queried the amendments and investment to signage for car parks and with LGR if the process was redundant. Councillor Wilson responded that there had been a long design process and he would update on the plans for LGR when available.

Councillor Smith questioned how the Waterlane leisure centre was progressing with growing its membership. Councillor Whitelock paid tribute to officers who got the grants for improvement works and thanked staff who run them. Growing membership was challenging and numbers were discussed regularly.

 Councillor Pitchers raised the games convention which was not mentioned in the report. Councillor Whitelock commented that her portfolio covers an enormous area and to include everything would be a huge report and it would not be reasonable to include everything. The Councillor would be happy to provide more information if required and knew the event had been very successful. 

On the proposition of Councillor Dr Speca, seconded by Councillor Jepson it was unanimously recommended that under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.